IHSAHN
TOTAL GUITAR MARCH 202034
extendthepaletteof whatI cando
withmusic. I wouldn’t say my music is
generally very technical. I am not a very
technicalguitarplayer;‘progressive’ is
morea mentality.Of course,youwish
topushthingsfurther– atleast
that’smy intention!”NEW HORIZONS
Chasing the bigger ideas is easier when
you have the casting vote. Emperor was
one of the most musically expansive of
the early Second Wave black metal
bands. There was symphonic grandeur
to their sound, total aggression, and
arrangements that sounded alien
enough that legions of would-be
copycats could never quite replicate.
Their horizons were broader, and yet,
looking back on how he worked
compared to how he works now, Ihsahn
is appreciativeof thefreedomyouhave
whenpursuinga solocareer.Playingin
aband is as much about learning to
compromise and bargain as it is about
being able to perform your parts. A solo
artist can take their sound anywhere,
just so long as they can play the parts.
And if they can’t, well the usual rule
applies to anyone playing music;
collaborate with the most talented
musicians you can find. “I have this
huge privilege of having people around
me that I trust and that are in the same
kind of artistic mindset,” says Ihsahn.
“Mostimportantly,Heidi.Sheknows
meso wellandweareso in sync.
Shewilllistento myideasandhelp
mefilteroutthegoodandthebad.
ThedrummersI workwitharesuper-
talented,withwideexperience.”THEGEARSLUT
Wherenoonecanhelpis whenyou
aresittingalonewithjusttheguitar
andworkingoutwhatworksin terms
ofarrangementsandtone.If ability
constrainstheformer,technologyhas
madethelattera questionof discipline- therearesimplyso manyoptionsfor
today’splayer.Evena kidwitha 6-watt,
battery-poweredLine6 MicroSpider
willhaveoptions,withonboardeffects
andfourampmodelsto choosefrom.
Thatis plentyto be gettingonwith.
Ihsahnnowrunsa KemperProfiler,
withan onboardpowerampso he
canrunit througha speakercab,
andthatpresentsas nearto infinite
toneoptions,certainlymore
thananyone could need.
That still isn’t enough to stop him
from wanting more, though, nearly
spendingall hismoneyona vintage
Nevemixingconsole.In a moment
ofclarityhe demurred.“I cameto my
sensesandthoughtthatis probably
notwhat’sholdingmeback,”he says,
chucklingat theinsanityof it all.
“Iwouldsaygearis reallyimportantbut
I kindof gotoffit. I havespenttoomuch
moneyfromreadinguponGearslutz.
com.Youknowthefeeling,‘If I only
hadthispieceof gear,mylifewouldbe
complete!’by thetimeyougetit there
are10 otherthings,and£100,000later
youarestillthere.No!Themost
importantthingwhenit comes
tocreativityis havingsomething
thatworks,andin thatrespectnow
Iamrunninga Kemper.”
Still,that’sa lotof options.Someare
essential.Ihsahnleansheavilyonthe
cabsimulationforthestudio.It speeds
uphisworkflow.Nomoreagonising
overmicplacement,doinga take,
andre-micing. Adjusting to multi-
functional tools such as the Kemper is
fast becoming an essential skill fortoday’splayers.Ihsahnwouldn’tchange
anything,butdoesworrythatthereis
agenerationcomingthroughwhohave
neverhadthechanceto gethands-on
with their tone, to do the experimenting
for themselves. “They have access to all
these things, all this equipment is very
cheap now, but it doesn’t give them the
opportunity to explore the different
elements of the signal chain,” explains
Ihsahn. “I was doing front-of-house for
someyoungbandsbackin thedayand
theywouldcomewiththeirhuge
Bossmulti-effectsboards,withcab
simulations,pluggingthatintothe
frontof a breaking-upMarshall
andcomplainingthattheamp
soundshorrible!”
In somerespects,Ihsahnis in
asimilar position. With Emperor, and
similarly with his solo work, he has less
space in the mix for time-based effects
such as delay or echo, or to bring in
modulation. “I admire all these players
who can integrate certain effects and
old-school fuzz boxes, phasers, and“If you are a kid today,
you can easily get lost
in all the bullshit”
above
Ihsahnonstage
witha custom
eight-string
AristidesPhoto:Gettty